Audio processing systems, for example, audio mixing consoles or software-based solutions, are known which are portable and can be releasably connected with external equipment. For example, external equipment may be microphones, audio sources such as Compact Disc (CD) player, external amplifiers, electronic music instruments, etc.
When connecting the external equipment to the audio processing system, processing properties may need to be set which specify audio effects and/or audio mixing applied to the audio signal when processing the audio signal. The processing properties may be set using a user interface.
In order to handle a plurality of external equipment, a plurality of audio inputs may exist at the audio processing system. For each audio input, there may be one or more user interfaces allocated. The setting of the one or more user interfaces may set the audio processing properties of the respective audio signal. This may define a signal path of the audio signal within the audio processing system comprising the audio processing as set by the user interfaces; the signal path is sometimes referred to as an audio channel.
The allocation or routing between user interfaces on the one side and the audio inputs on the other sides is sometimes referred to as a patch. Re-patching may refer to changing the allocation between the audio inputs and the user interfaces (i.e., to changing the association between a given audio channel and a given user interface).
Sometimes the allocation between user interfaces and audio inputs is fixed (i.e., may not be changed by user of the audio processing system) or re-patching may not be possible. However, for example, in the field of digital processing systems, it is known to provide a freely configurable allocation between user interfaces and audio inputs; where, in other words, re-patching is possible.
For example, a position of the audio inputs on the audio processing system may be remote or at a certain distance with respect to the user interfaces such that there is no well-defined patch inherently given by a positioning of audio inputs versis user interfaces. It may, moreover, not be required in such systems that at any given point in time all, audio signals received by an audio input have a respectively allocated user interface. For example, different criterions for grouping of user interfaces in layers or banks can be applied, different to a physical location of the audio inputs.
Scenarios are likely to occur where one and the same external equipment is connected to the audio processing system in a plurality of subsequent occasions or sessions. Between two subsequent occasions, the external equipment is often disconnected, for example, for storage and/or transportation purposes. A particular user interface may keep its setting such that corresponding audio properties may not need to be set anew for every occasion.
In such scenarios, known systems often provide the advantage of flexibility and scalability of the allocation between audio inputs versus user interfaces. On the other hand, they may face certain restrictions. For example, in a scenario where frequent re-connecting of external equipment occurs, it may be difficult for a user to remember the allocation between user inputs on the one side and user interfaces setting the processing properties of audio processing channels on the other side. In particular, connecting every external equipment to exactly the same audio input may be cumbersome and may be subject to undetected errors. On the other hand, it may require significant time to change or modify the allocation between the various audio inputs and the user interfaces setting the audio processing of the audio processing channels (i.e., to re-patch).
Therefore, a need exists to provide techniques which allow for a flexible, fast and simple re-connection and setup of a set of external equipment to an audio processing system at subsequent occasions.